Graduate Programs- Special Education

 

Special Education

 

The Master of Arts Degree in Education 
or Preparation for Non-Degree Certification 
with a Speciality in Special Education

 

 

Emphasis

 

The Special Education program currently emphasizes preparation for consultative and teaching roles in public and private early childhood, elementary or middle/intermediate/junior high school educational settings.

 

In addition to our traditional on-campus program, outlined in more detail below, we offer a relatively new Master of Arts in Special Education degree program available at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center. The first two cohorts have successfully completed the two years of part-time study. A Third Cohort of students interested in pursuing a master’s degree in special education at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center, California, Maryland, begins September 2007. For those wishing to apply for Cohort Three, there is still time to begin. Contact the Director of Graduate Admissions at (202) 319-5057 for an application. Two courses will be taught this fall: EDUC 699: Introduction to Education Research (beginning September 10, 2007), and EDUC 581: Educating Diverse Learners (Thursdays beginning September 13, 2005).  Both courses begin at 5:00 pm and will be held at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center, 44219 Airport Road: California, Maryland.

 

If there is insufficient time to apply as a degree-seeking candidate, those who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university may apply as a non-degree candidate, and complete a full application during the semester while taking courses.  Interested applicants should, at least, come to the first class meetings.  For directions to the Higher Education Center please call Dr. Cynthia Shoemaker at (301) 737-2500.  Information about this program may be obtained by contacting Dr. Thomas J. Long at long@cua.edu or Dr. Carole Brown at brownc@cua.edu. Please click on Southern Maryland Higher Education Center to get more information on the history of this program.

 

Also, you may want to visit our VSA Arts Project website.  The project capitalizes on recent developments in the arts and education community that are encouraging partnerships between institutions of higher education and local school districts to enhance the professional development of teachers. Click VSA Arts Project in order to visit the site.   

 

Useful For

 

This MA sequence provides knowledge, theory, and practice in the development and education of children with mental retardation, learning disabilities, behavioral, speech and language difficulties, and related areas of need.  The program has a standard requirement of 36 credit hours as described below.

 

It is expected that students will come to the program with solid preparation in early childhood and/or elementary education.  Students will be prepared to act in consultative roles and to foster inclusion of children with special needs within the general curriculum in both private schools and public schools.  The program has existing partnerships with the Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Washington, the public schools of both the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County in Maryland, the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center and several specialty and charter schools, which provide a variety of choices for practical experiences. Students who are currently certified to teach and who successfully complete the program listed below should be eligible for special education certification in the District of Columbia and, by reciprocity, in most other jurisdictions.  Students who do not currently hold any teaching certificate may require more course work than is listed below in order to obtain a special education certificate.  The Catholic University of America does not itself grant certification; this is a prerogative of the state in which one plans to teach.

 

Special Skills

 

Students in the Special Education program are expected to develop expertise in assessment and cognitive learning strategies, as well as skills in fostering and managing change in school environments, advocating for children with special needs, and consulting and supporting parents and other teachers.  Students are encouraged to approach their study and future work reflectively, considering the instructional, ethical, empathic, interpretative, and practical dimensions and consequences of their behaviors.  The Special Education program at Catholic University is designed to lead students from a child-focused to a systems-focused perspective.

 

 

Recommended Course Work for the MA (36 hours)

 

Educ 522            Race, Class, Gender and Disability in Education

Educ 525            Psychology of Learning for Diverse Populations

Educ 531            Language and Literacy Development of Children with Disabilities

Educ 532            Practicum in Modification and Adaptability of Curriculum and Instruction for

                        Exceptional Children

Educ 533            Field Experience in Assessment

Educ 534            Field Experience: Collaboration, Consultation and Systems Change

Educ 535            Current Trends in Ethical and Legal Issues in Special Education

Educ 536            Interpersonal Communication, Consultation, Collaboration and the Process of Systems Change

Educ 581            Educating Diverse Learners

Educ 635            Psychological Measurement

Educ 699            Introduction to Educational Research

Educ 702            Advanced Foundations of Education

 

Electives

 

Educ 555            Classroom Management for Regular and Special Needs Children

Educ 615            Governance and Community Relations

Educ 639            Human Growth and Development

Educ 669            Diagnosing and Remediating Reading Problems in the Classroom

Educ 671            Understanding Learning Disabilities

 

The Special Education Program can be completed within two calendar years of part-time study. A part-time program of study, however, requires full-time availability during six weeks each summer (usually from the last week of June through the first week of August).

 

Requirements

 

Admission to the masters program includes acceptable scores on either the Graduate Record Examinatin (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), and undergraduate grade point average of 2.70/4.0, three letters of recommendation and a personal interview, in addition to the usual application and fees.

 

During the student's masters program, each student must certify that he or she has satisfactorily passed the Praxis I tests in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. In order to be certified, the student must also pass the Praxis II test in the Core Knowledge of Special Education.  Masters candidates must also pass comprehensive examinations and produce an acceptable thesis or two non-thesis option papers in order to graduate.

 

Non-degree certification candidates (GTCP) do not have to submit GRE or MAT scores for admission, but must submit passing scores on the Praxis I tests in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. GTCP students do not have to take comprehensive examinations or produce a thesis, but they must pass the Praxis II test in the Core Knowledge of Special Education before becoming eligible for certification.  The coursework for certification students is approximately the same as that for MA candidates except that GTCP students will substitute two electives for Education 699 and 702.

 

GTCP students may apply for admission to the MA program at any time during their course of study, but will have to be accepted into the MA program and complete all MA requirements.